1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to orthodontics, and more specifically, to technologies for using holography to assist in the precision bending of an orthodontic archwire.
2. Background and Related Art
An individual's jaw, gums and teeth (also referred to herein as an “orthodontic structure”) combine to provide a critical function by allowing the individual to mechanically break down food for safer swallowing and more efficient digestion. Sever malformations or mechanical flaws of the individual's orthodontic structure may also interfere (even if only slightly) with the proper articulation of language. The abilities to properly eat and speak fluidly are essential needs of mankind. Any degradation in these abilities may have a significant impact on the affected individual's quality of living.
Also, human beings have varying concerns about their own appearance and how they are perceived by others. In addition, some human beings are sometimes inclined (even if on a subconscious level) to form negative judgments about an individual if the appearance of the individual's teeth varies significantly from an ideal societal norm. Accordingly, individuals with such variances may desire for better conformance of the teeth with societal norms, whether their motivation be for the proper functioning of the orthodontic structure, or whether their motivation be for a better appearance, or a combination thereof.
Orthodontics is a now highly-advanced branch of medicine in which dental practices are implemented to manipulate a patient's orthodontic structure for better function and appearance. In order to perform such manipulation, it is necessary to apply sustained and appropriately-directed forces to the teeth. To apply such forces to the teeth, an orthodontist typically affixes brackets to a patient's teeth using bonding material. The orthodontist then couples an arched wire (often called an “archwire”) to the brackets using an archwire slot formed in each of the brackets. Some of the teeth may have the archwire anchored to the correspondence bracket, while other teeth may have brackets that allow for some sliding of the archwire.
In order to achieve movement of teeth towards a desired corrected position, it is not only necessary that sustained force be applied, but also that that force be properly directed to achieve the specific movement desired. This requires the considerable knowledge and expertise held by licensed orthodontists. The orthodontist will use that expertise to properly place the brackets, and to properly bend the archwire. Despite such expertise, however, while the teeth may generally move towards the corrected position, there may be some slight errors in the forces applied by the archwire that become apparent from the path of movement of the teeth. Of course, there may be some degree of error in how the archwire is bent, thereby contributing to some of the deviations from ideal movement of the teeth towards a corrected position.
Accordingly, what would be advantageous are mechanisms that provide for more precise wire bending to thereby provide more precise correction of tooth movement towards a corrected position.